Shattered Dreams
by Mr. Peabody Hawke
Summary: Four months after the defeat of Sin, the Eternal Calm seems to be going well. But there are unforseen consequences to the awakening of the Fayth, complications that could doom the 'Eternal' Calm to oblivion... forever. WakkaRikku.
1. Stained

Hello!  Thanks so much to Saranomy for agreeing to beta for me!  You rock!  Anyways, I've done a little revision to this chapter (fixing the spelling of Kimahri's name and such) and reposted it.  Chapter 2 is coming soon; I've already sent it off to be beta-ed!  With any luck it should be up within a week.

This story takes place after Final Fantasy X ends, so don't read unless you've beaten the game or don't mind spoilers.  But you probably expected that coming in.  ^^;;  Also, this story completely disregards anything that might happen in FFX-2.  I haven't played it yet, but I do have a basic knowledge of the plot and this fic is completely unrelated. 

This disclaimer applies for this chapter and all future chapters in this fic:  All Final Fantasy X characters, places, and things are copyright to Squaresoft (or is it Square-Enix now?).  No infringement is intended and no money is being made in the production of this story.  It is purely for fun, so let's keep it that way.  Various random characters (Zara, Xan, etc.) _do _belong to me; do not take them without permission. 

I will be using Al Bhed in this story, and the translations are at the end of each chapter.

Now… without further ado, I present to you…

* * *

Shattered Dreams

Chapter 1

Stained

            The streets of Bevelle were dark, eerily empty and devoid of the noise and nightlife that one might expect in such a major city.  Perhaps it was not so strange, though, if one took into account the recent events that had bombarded the city.  Barely four months prior, the huge entity known only as Sin had fallen, finally defeated, and in the process crushed Sectors D and E of Spira's capitol city.  Though Sin had been a monstrosity that the people were happy to be rid of, the Yevon religion was based on the idea that Sin was their punishment for their crimes, and they must repent to be free of it's reign of destruction and terror.  That Sin should be brought down by seven individuals and an Al Bhed airship caused the entire religion to come crashing down around their ears.  With thousands dead and their religion bust, Bevelle was thrown into a state of mourning.  Some reconstruction had begun, but the city was at a loss without its leaders and people didn't know where to begin.  

            But the dark cloaked figure that moved silently through the deserted streets neither knew nor cared of the city's pain.  It moved purposefully, never pausing or once deterring from reaching its destination.  Its quick, strong strides led it east across town, towards the remnants of Sectors D and E, but then it turned north and continued away from the wreckage, away from the death and destruction it knew nothing and yet everything about.  Eventually it came to the beach, sand littered with debris from the explosion but the moonlight still reflecting off the water in a symphony of colors and kaleidoscope patterns that dazzled the eyes.

            The figure knew none of this.  It simply stood- waiting, watching.  And at about two in the morning, a limp form washed up on the sand, half submerged in the water and unmoving.  The figure moved forward briskly and picked the unconscious form up, and then turned and began to walk back the way from which it had come.  And in the dark, under the cowl, a sinister smile played upon its lips.

~*~*~*~

            Zara Guado was not one to be easily discouraged.

            On the contrary, she could be described as the type of person who waits patiently for the perfect blackmail opportunity to catch her brother on sphere and play it in front of the entire community after he steals her favorite staff.  Indeed, he didn't dare leave the house for several weeks after the incident in question.  And certainly, it was Zara who pulled the Guado back together after the loss of Seymour, Yevon, and all that they had previously believed in.  She lifted the spirits of her people, put the punch back into blitzball team, and helped select a new leader, Xan, who, through her, became as well loved and respected as any of the previous leaders of Guadosalam.  She wondered now, though, if she had been wise in choosing Xan to lead their people.  After all, he was the reason she was now on this mission alone, without backup.  Technically, she wasn't even supposed to be here at all.

            Which was why Zara Guado was becoming increasingly frustrated with the whole situation, and began to wonder if her entire journey was futile and if she might be better off going straight home.  

            "Please," she repeated for the eleventh time to the guard blocking her path up the ramp way, "I need to get to Besaid.  I must speak to the High Summoner immediately!" 

            The Lucan guard sneered at her.  "I _told_ you, we don't take Guado on this ship!  Are you deaf, or just plain stupid?"

            "But I must see High Summoner Yuna!  It's urgent!"

            "I'll bet it is," laughed the guard, "Listen, missy, just run along home to your rat hole in the woods before I have to call security."

            "Some guard you are if you have to call security," piped a scornful voice behind Zara.  She spun around to find a young girl grinning amiably at her, with blonde tresses pinned up at the back of her head and framing her face. 

            The guard quickly assessed the situation and tried to take control.  "This- this _Guado,_" he spat, "is trying to force her way onto the ship.  Claims to have 'urgent business' with the High Summoner." 

            "Really?" asked the blonde with mild interest, "So why don't you let her on board?"

            The guard looked taken aback.  "But… but… surely you don't mean… but… look at her!  She's a Guado!"

            The girl raised an eyebrow.  "So?"

            The guard gave one last valiant attempt: "I have strict orders not to allow any Guado on this ship."

            The girl's green eyes flashed.  "Bullshit," she snapped, "You have no such orders and you know it.  I hope you realize you're losing business by being a prejudiced ass.  You certainly deserve it.  You big meanie!" she added as an afterthought.

            The guard gaped at her for a few minutes like a fish out of water, trying to come up with a retort in his defense.  Finally he sighed in defeat and turned to Zara.  "It's 100 Gil to Besaid Island," he said resignedly.

            "Oh, no, you don't!  You're not getting her business after the way you treated her!"  The strange girl grabbed Zara by the elbow and proceeded to drag her away from the S.S. Winno and its dumbfounded guard.  

            "Wait!  Please, I must get to Besaid!" Zara protested.

            "No problem," the blonde interrupted her, "That's where we're headed.  Dad just stopped here for gas and sent me to find Brother at the stadium after his game.  Good thing I saw what was going on.  We can give you a lift.  Honestly, people these days!  First it was the Al Bhed, now it's the Guado.  Next I suppose they'll be discriminating the Ronso!  So what is it you need to talk to Yunie about anyways?  Have you ever met her before?  She's really sweet; you'll love her.  She's my cousin, you know?"

            Zara's head reeled as she tried to process everything this hyperactive teen was relaying to her.  The girl was talking a mile a minute and not even pausing for air!  "You have… a boat?"  Zara asked, "You'll take me to Besaid?" 

            "Boat?"  The blonde seemed to find this immensely funny.  "No, we don't have a boat!" she laughed, "But don't worry, we'll get you to Besaid!"

            Zara frowned, confused, but before she could speak, they rounded the bend into Dock 1 and were confronted by the most amazing sight Zara had ever seen.  'The forbidden machina airship!' she thought in awe.  'Though I suppose it's not forbidden anymore…'  "It's beautiful," she whispered aloud, "I'd love to ride it someday… though… I don't suppose I ever will," she added sadly.

            "Why do you say that?"  The blonde tilted her head in a slightly confused fashion.

            "Well, I'm Guado… and the airship belongs to the Al Bhed.  They'd never let me on."

            "Wouldn't they?"  The girl winked at her.  "C'mon, we don't want Dad to leave without us!"  Grabbing Zara's hand, she began to race towards the airship, the guards at the ramp letting her pass without a second glance.  

            "_Tyt!  E's pylg!  Yna fa nayto du ku oad?_" she called as she bounded onto the bridge.

            "_Tyshed_, Rikku, _frana'ja oui paah?_" yelled a big bald man that Zara realized must be Cid, leader of the Al Bhed and captain of this airship.

The girl, whom Zara now presumed was called 'Rikku', pushed her in front so that she could be seen.  "_Cusa sunuh fuimth'd mad ran uh dra puyd du_ Besaid _zicd palyica cra'c_ Guado.  _E druikrd fa luimt keja ran y neta?_"

"I don't see why not," Cid said, switching to Spiran and smiling down at Zara.  "Welcome aboard, little lady."

~*~*~*~

"So, uh… how long does it take to get to Besaid?" Zara asked.

"Oh, just a couple of hours."  Rikku was sitting on a big metal desk with her feet propped up on some sort of screen, tossing a ball back and forth in her hands.  "Hey, what's your name, anyways?"

"Oh!  I'm Zara," the Guado said, embarrassed.  This girl had done so much for her without even knowing her name! 

"Zara?  Cool.  I'm Rikku."

Zara nodded even though she already knew this.  They sat in silence for a few minutes, Zara feeling rather awkward and out of place.  Finally she felt she had to ask.  "Not meaning to offend, but… don't the Al Bhed… well, dislike the Guado?"

Rikku looked surprised at the question.  She thought about it for a minute, then replied,  "I suppose some of us, yeah, hold grudges for stuff that happened, but most of us have moved on.  It's true that not everyone on this ship will welcome you, but then, I bet some of the Guado still hate the Al Bhed, too, you know?"

Zara nodded, thinking this over.

"It's too bad, really," Rikku continued, "There's nothing wrong with the Al Bhed and there's nothing wrong with the Guado.  But when we've grown up learning to hate each other, it's so hard to change, you know?  It's really just ignorance.  If we took the time to get to know each other, we'd see that we're all really just people like you and me."

Zara wondered if this was the same bubbly Rikku who had been sprouting nonsense not too long before.  She sounded so… mature.

"Before we defeated Sin," Rikku said slowly, "I had… a friend- a devoted Yevonite.  He didn't know I was Al Bhed.  When he found out, he was so mad.  But… gradually… he remembered that there is more to me than just being Al Bhed.  I'm Rikku, too.  He remembered why I was his friend before, and realized that just because I'm Al Bhed, doesn't mean I'm a bad person."  She smiled fondly, and Zara realized that the girl was off in her own little world, lost in memories.

"I had another friend," Rikku continued after a pause, "who didn't know or care about Yevon.  He didn't know or care about the difference between Al Bhed and Guado, or about the discrimination that divided Spira.  All he cared about was defeating Sin so that no one should have to suffer.  He did it, too."  Here, Rikku's voice began to crack.  "He did it for everyone, for Spirans, Guado, Ronso, and Al Bhed.  So that none of them should have to suffer."  She fell silent as she struggled to keep herself from crying.

Zara stared.  There was so much more to this girl than first met the eye!  She had obviously been through something traumatic, but one couldn't tell from her bubbly, cheerful exterior.

There was the metallic sound of doors sliding open and Cid marched in.  "Rikku, _kad oan pidd uvv dra luhdnum byham!_"he barked.

Rikku, having regained her composure, rolled her eyes and leapt to the floor, sticking her tongue out at her father when he turned his back.

~*~*~*~

The rest of the trip passed fairly quickly for Zara.  Rikku introduced her to Rin- who was extremely kind and polite but seemed determined to get her to buy something- and to the team members of the Al Bhed Psyches- who seemed nice enough but didn't speak any Spiran, which kind of put an end to any conversation potential.  She then showed her the observation deck, where Zara was immediately captivated with the view and refused to leave the window for the rest of the flight.  Thus, it wasn't until Besaid Island came into view that she remembered the reason she was here in the first place.  She was suddenly overcome with dread as all sorts of complications arose in her mind.  What if the High Summoner wouldn't help them?  What if the High Summoner _couldn't _help them?  

By the time the airship had docked safely at the beach, Zara was feeling so nervous that she could barely bring herself to walk off the ship.  As it was, Rikku was already skipping down the ramp, dragging her by one arm.

"_Rao_, Rikku, _kad oan pidd pylg rana!_" Cid yelled.

Rikku groaned.  "_Pid, Tyt, E fyhhy caa_ Yunie!"

"**_Yvdan_** _dra nuideha syehdahyhla lralg.  Oui ghuf dra tnemm_."

"_Tyshed_," Rikku growled.  She pointed up the path in front of them.  "Just follow this path to reach the village," she said to Zara, "You can't miss it.  Ask anyone there for Yuna, they'll know where she is.  I'll be along as soon as I can.  _Ymm nekrd, ymnayto!  E's lusehk!_"  She turned and ran back up the ramp.

Zara stared at the deserted path in front of her, the comfort she had felt in knowing that Rikku was coming with her now slipping away fast.  Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and resolutely set off down the path, one foot after the other.

~*~*~*~

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where I might find the High Summoner Yuna?"

The old woman stared at Zara suspiciously.  "What do you want with Lady Yuna?" she snapped.

"Please, I have come a long way to speak with her," Zara said as politely as she could.

"Well, you can turn around and go right back!"

"Maura, that was unnecessary," interjected a soft voice.  "You forget that I listen to all who come to me, regardless of what they look like or where they are from.  I do not wish to have discrimination on Spira."  The speaker- a young woman wearing a blue skirt and yellow flowered obi- turned to Zara.  "I am Summoner Yuna.  What is it you wish to discuss with me?"

"Lady Yuna," Zara murmured in awe, bowing.  "It is an honor to meet you.  I… my story may take some time.  Is there somewhere we might…?"

"Yes, of course.  Maura, would you find Wakka and Lulu and ask them to meet me in the conference room as soon as they are free?"

"Of course, m'lady," Maura mumbled as she backed away, still glaring suspiciously at Zara.

~

The 'conference room' turned out to be one of the spare rooms in the temple equipped with a table and some chairs.  

"Please, sit down," Yuna said, indicating one of the chairs.  She herself sat down opposite from Zara, and a moment later, the door opened and a woman dressed all in heavy black and wearing a skirt covered with belts hurried in.  She nodded at Zara and silently took her seat beside Yuna, who introduced the woman as 'Lulu'.

Zara nodded and licked her suddenly dry lips.  "I am Zara of the Guado," she began, wincing as she realized how stupid that sounded.  She was obviously Guado; she didn't need to announce it!  Gulping, she continued, "Our leader, Xan, sends his regards to the High Summoner Yuna, although… I came here of my own accord.  There have been some… occurrences that I feel Lady Yuna ought to know about."  She paused, trying to think of how to phrase what she had to say next.

"Please continue," Yuna urged gently.

"Since the defeat of Sin and the awakening of the Fayth, the Guado have noticed some… discrepancies in the Farplane."

Lulu spoke up.  "What sort of 'discrepancies'?" she asked slowly, as though she was not sure she really wanted to know the answer.

Zara took a deep breath and looked Yuna directly in the eyes.

"It's breaking, Lady Yuna.  The Farplane is crumbling."

~*~*~*~

'Lu's gonna kill me for being late again!' Wakka thought as he hurried through the village of Besaid.  'It's not like it's _my_ fault!  How am I supposed to know when visitors are gonna come to see--'

"WAKKAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

An orange blur came hurtling through the crowd towards him.  "Oomph!" Wakka grunted as it launched itself onto his back and gave him a noogie.

"Hey, Rikku," he said in a slightly strangled voice, "Good to see you, too."

"Hi, Wakka!  Have you seen Yunie?" she asked, still perched comfortably on his back.

"She's in the conference room.  How 'bout gettin' off me now, ya?"

"In your dreams!" she giggled.  "Giddiyap!"

Sighing, Wakka set off down the road towards the temple, wobbling a bit unsteadily.

"You make a pretty pathetic chocobo," Rikku teased.

"I'm heartbroken that I won't be joinin' the ranks of the Crusaders' cavalry," Wakka retorted dryly.

"Awww, you're no fun!" Rikku pouted.

"Y'call this 'fun'?"

"Yup!  Faster, my valiant chocobo!  Yah!" Rikku laughed and dug her knees into his waist. 

"Ow!" Wakka cried.

"Onward!" shouted Rikku, flinging her arm out and pointing at the temple.  Unfortunately, this caused Wakka to lose his balance and they both went crashing down in a heap.

"Uhg…"

"Ouch."

"Some chocobo."

~*~*~*~

"The Farplane is… breaking?" Yuna repeated slowly.  "Are you sure?"

"It certainly seems that way," Zara replied sadly.

"But… what does it mean?"

"We don't know," whispered Zara, "That's why I came to you.  Xan said not to, but… we can't just let it go on like this.  We don't know what to do.  I thought… I thought you might be able to help."

"I don't know if I can help," Yuna said truthfully, "but I'll do my best."

"Yuna," Lulu interjected, "You can't just abandon your post here.  The people of Spira look to you for the support and guidance they need to solve their problems.  If you just run off, it's going to cause problems."

"But I can't just sit by and do nothing!  You heard what she said- the Farplane is breaking!"

"I didn't say you should do nothing."

Yuna sighed.  "You're right.  But what can I do?  I need more information…"

The door slammed open and a tornado sped into the room, followed by Wakka at a more leisurely pace.

"Yunie!!" Rikku cried, but stopped short when she saw the serious, forlorn faces.  "Uh… is this a bad time?"

"No…" Yuna said slowly, a smile forming on her face.  "No, this is a perfect time!"

~*~*~*~

"So… what are we doin' again?" Wakka asked, running a hand through his hair as he gazed out the window of the airship.

"I'm supposed to show you what's happened to the Farplane and see if you can make head or tail of it.  Basically, Lady Yuna needs more information than I can give her, and you're going to get it for her," Zara explained cheerfully.  She was so relieved that the High Summoner had so readily agreed to help her.

Wakka glanced at Rikku.  "And why us?" he asked, "Why not Lu or Kimahri?  They'd probably do a much better job than we would, ya?"

Rikku shrugged and looked up at him, tilting her head to one side.  "'Cause Yunie said so?"

"Izat really all the answer you got?" he asked skeptically.

"Think about it, Wakka.  Kimahri wouldn't leave Yunie's side for an instant, and Lulu is really helpful in dealing with all the people who come to her with problems and proposals for her to join the New Yevon and stuff.  So that leaves- us!" Rikku grinned and twirled around.

"Well, I suppose it is a nice change of scene, ya?" Wakka admitted, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Yup!" Rikku giggled happily, "This is gonna be fun!"

And we all know that when someone says that, something is definitely going to go wrong.

********

Translations:

"_Tyt!  E's pylg!  Yna fa nayto du ku oad?_" =  "Dad!  I'm back!  Are we ready to go yet?"

"_Tyshed_, Rikku, _frana'ja oui paah?_" =  "Damnit, Rikku, where've you been?"

"_Cusa sunuh fuimth'd mad ran uh dra puyd du_ Besaid _zicd palyica cra'c_ Guado.  _E druikrd fa luimt keja ran y neta?_" =  "Some moron wouldn't let her on the boat to Besaid just because she's Guado.  I thought we could give her a ride?"

"Rikku, _kad oan pidd uvv dra luhdnum byham!_" =  "Rikku, get yer butt off the control panel!"

"_Rao_, Rikku, _kad oan pidd pylg rana!_" =  "Hey, Rikku, get yer butt back here!"

 "_Pid, Tyt, E fyhhy caa_ Yunie!" =  "But, Dad, I wanna see Yunie!"

"**_Yvdan_** _dra nuideha syehdahyhla lralg.  Oui ghuf dra tnemm_." =  "_After_ the routine maintenance check.  You know the drill."

"_Ymm nekrd, ymnayto!  E's lusehk!_" =  "All right, already!  I'm coming!"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!  Now, follow the magic arrow!

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	2. Warped

Finally- Chapter 2!  I'm so sorry about the delay.  I don't have any real excuse except that I'm lazy.  I'm the only person I know who can be so freakin' lazy and still only get 5 hours of sleep at night.  ^^;;

Extra extra thanks goes out to Saranomy for putting up with all the times I sent her this chapter!  It was sent in fragments.  ^_^ Also major thanks to _Karla3_, _Saranomy_, _Room3_, and _Ryuutsu Seishin, Hime No Argh_ for reviewing!  Cookies for all!  And I'm not saying anything on Tidus and Auron yet!  ^.~

* * *

Shattered Dreams 

Chapter 2

Warped

            "I suppose I… have to go in, don't I?" Rikku asked tentatively as they neared the Farplane's entrance.

            "Hey, it's okay, ya?  I'm here," Wakka sounded cheerful, but Rikku wasn't entirely convinced.

            "But my… memories…  It's just… ya know…" Rikku waved her hands about to emphasize her point.

            Wakka looked at her for a moment, confused.  Then his eyes lit up in a sudden revelation.  "Hey, maybe you won't see… whatever it is… since the Farplane is, what, crumblin', ya?"  

            Rikku looked at him in surprise, then put on a brave face and nodded.  "Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we?"  Stepping up the last of the stairs before the Farplane, she suddenly stopped.  Wakka turned, frowning at her.  

            "C'mon, Rikku, we don't got all day!  Why'd you stop, ya?"

            "…Wakka, what's the Farplane supposed to look like, anyways?" she asked.

            Wakka opened and closed his mouth a few times, fishing for the words necessary to describe the otherworld.  "I dunno," he said finally, "It's like… a, a field, sorta… it's almost a whole different world, or somethin'… I remember it was real pretty… but I don't remember exactly _what_ it looked like."

            Rikku nodded sympathetically.  "Yes, it must be hard when you get old and your memory starts to fail," she said seriously.

            "Yeah… wait, what?!"

            Rikku laughed and bounded up ahead of him.  "C'mon, 'grandpa', I wanna see the Farplane!  You can tell me what it's meant to look like once we've seen it!"

            Wakka grumbled and stepped up to the misty entrance.  He gave only the tinsiest hesitation before stepping in, Rikku close on his heels.

            There was a long silence as they both stared around them.  Eventually Wakka wet his lips and whispered hoarsely, "Not like that."

~*~*~*~

            They stared at the vast meadow of flowers, all brown and wilting and dead.  The great waterfalls tumbled down, fiercer than ever, and even as they watched, the water broke off great blocks of earth and stone and brought them crashing down into nothingness.  The sky was dark, and the land burned and laced with chasms and craters.  Even the small platform on which they stood showed obvious signs of unnatural wear.  And the moon, that huge, full, robin's-egg blue moon up in the sky, had an enormous crevasse running right down the middle, like a huge gaping maw, opening into darkness that chilled the heart. 

            But even this was not what struck Wakka or Rikku most as they stood there in the midst of all this destruction and chaos.  It was the pyreflies.

            They were gone.

~*~*~*~

            "So… what do we do now?  Go back and tell Yuna?" Wakka asked worriedly, running a hand through his hair.  They sat in one of Guadosalam's guest rooms, trying to figure out what they should do about what they had seen- and more importantly, what it meant.

            "No way!  Yunie sent us to get information, but we don't really know any more than we did before.  I say we keep searching," said Rikku enthusiastically, and she punctuated this remark with a fist thrown into the air.

            Wakka raised an eyebrow.  "Keep searchin', eh?  And just where d'ya think we should search, ya?"

            "Uh…" 

            "Right.  Maybe we oughta think about this fo' a bit before rushin' off, ya?"

            Rikku nodded sheepishly and they both sat in silence for several minutes, lost in thought.  Wakka finally broke the silence by asking, "So this,"- by 'this' he meant the Farplane's apparent decay- "began… about when Yuna performed the sendin' fo' Sin and the Fayth, ya?"

            "Right after," corrected Rikku.

            Wakka scratched his head.  "So… since she sent the Fayth, shouldn't there be a lot more pyreflies than before?"

            "But… there are none…"

            "What d'ya think happened to 'em?" he asked.

            "They can't die, can they?  Or just disappear?  Maybe… they went somewhere…" Rikku thought aloud.

            "'Went somewhere?'"

            Rikku threw up her hands in exasperation.  "I don't know- where do pyreflies congregate?"

            "Moonflow?"

            She blinked at this sudden show of intellect, but then shook her head.  "Zara said the pyreflies are gone from there, too."

            There was another long pause.

            "Don't you find it… strange… that everythin' started going wrong _after _we defeated Sin?"  Wakka asked suddenly.

            Rikku looked up in surprise.  "I… never thought of it that way," she admitted, "But… you're right."  She paused for a moment.  "Ya know, maybe it wasn't so much defeating Sin as it was sending the Fayth."

            Wakka's eyes widened.  "Ya mean… maybe Yuna wasn't _supposed _to send the Fayth?"

            "Well… they weren't exactly dead… were they?"

            "I don't know… they were trapped, ya?  Maybe they called the pyreflies to them, or somethin'?"

            Rikku grinned up at him.  "Hey… I think you might be onto something!"  She twirled a strand of hair around one finger, thinking hard.  "The Fayth are powerful beings," she mused, "If something went wrong, they might have arranged a… defense mechanism, of sorts.  They need the pyreflies to survive, or summon, or _something_, so to call the pyreflies to them would be a logical course of action.  Right?"

            Wakka stared.  "But… that would mean…"

            "The Cavern of the Fayth!"

~*~*~*~

            "Zara!  Zara, where's the airship?  I gotta talk to my dad!"  Rikku raced down the stone pathways and skidded to a halt in front of her victim.

            "Oh!" The young Guado girl gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.  Rikku was forcibly reminded of Yuna.  "I'm sorry, you've just missed them."

            "They're _gone_?" 

            "Master Cid received an urgent call from Bikanel and departed immediately.  He left you some Gil and said he was really sorry, but you're 'gonna have to hoof it back to Besaid.'"  She shrugged dismissively.

            "But… we don't need to get to Besaid!" cried Rikku, "We need to go to Mt. Gagazet!"

            "Did you discover something, then?"

            "Yeah, but there's no time to explain," Rikku panted, nearly hysterical, "We _have _to get to Mt. Gagazet!"

            "I'm afraid the only way is on foot.  We have no other mode of transportation to lend to you.  I'm really very sorry."

            "Hey, it's okay, ya?" Wakka reassured her, nudging Rikku with his elbow, "We'll walk.  It's not that far."

            "I'm sorry I can't be of more help.  Please, if you or Lady Yuna ever need anything…" Zara gestured with her hands.

            "We'll contact you," Wakka assured her.

            "Now, let's go!  The sooner we get to Mt. Gagazet and figure out that the hell's goin' on, the sooner we can get back to Besaid!" Rikku was hopping up and down in her excitement.

            "Good luck."

            Zara escorted them to the entrance of the Thunder Plains, and Rikku was so enthusiastic about reaching the Cavern of the Fayth that she actually walked right out into the eternal storm.  She got about four steps before there was a clap of thunder and she suddenly realized exactly where she was.  With a whimper, she jumped behind Wakka and clung to his leg so that he couldn't move.

            "Hey, Rikku!  Get off, ya?" he protested, trying to walk and drag her along at the same time.

            "No!  Thunder… lightning… scary…" she muttered into his pants.

            "Rikku!  If we stay out in the open like this, we _are _gonna get hit.  We have to keep movin', ya?"

            "Nu-huh."

            "Rikku, please," he pleaded, "The rest stop isn't too far ahead, ya?  We'll stop there, I promise.  But if we don't move, we'll _never _reach Mt. Gagazet."

            When she didn't respond, he pried her from his leg and crouched down so he was facing her.  "C'mon, Rikku.  I'm here. You can do it."

            She shook her head vigorously.

            "Fo' Yuna?"

            Silence.

            "Fo' me?"  He really didn't think that this would make any difference- if she wouldn't do it for Yuna then he might as well give it up as a lost cause, and there was no way in hell she'd do anything just 'cause he'd asked her to- but to his surprise she gritted her teeth and stood, gripping his arm for support.

            "'Atta girl," he grinned, clapping her on the back.  She managed a brief smile and then set off at a quick- albeit shaky- walk.

            They reached the rest point without further mishap, and Rikku stumbled gratefully into the room they rented and collapsed on the bed.

            "You okay?" Wakka asked her after a moment.

            "I'd ruther be sat on by a shoopuf than go back out there," came the muffled reply.

            Wakka gave a wry laugh.  "You don't have much choice, ya?  Unless you wanna stay here all your life."

            "That is probably the best idea I've heard all day.  It's sounding more appealing by the second."

            "Aw, Rikku.  We're halfway across, ya?  A little further ain't gonna hurt ya."

            Rikku scoffed, "Easy for you to say.  _You've _never been hit by lightning before."

            Wakka sighed.  "Fine.  You stay here, ya?  Grow old and marry a who hates thunder and raise little kids right here in the rest stop.  I'm goin' to Mt. Gagazet."  He turned and made as if to leave.

            "Hey!" Rikku yelled, jumping off the bed and scrambling after him.  "Don't abandon me, ya big meanie!"

~*~*~*~

            They continued on in silence- Wakka deep in thought about something, and Rikku just too terrified to carry on any form of intelligent conversation.  

            "Don'tcha think it's kinda weird that there aren't that many fiends around?" Wakka asked as they stopped for rest under the pavilion.  

            Rikku glared up at him from her spot on the ground.  "I've been a little preoccupied, in case you hadn't noticed," she snapped, "trying to avoid certain bright lights that might flash fry me where I stand!  The fiends probably just know better than to get in my way!"

            Wakka raised his hands in submission.  "Hey, Rikku, it's not that bad, ya?  Look, Macalania's just a little further.  The faster we move, the sooner we get outta here, ya?"

            Rikku groaned and climbed to her feet.  "Much as I hate to admit it, you've got a point.  C'mon, let's go!  I wanna get outta here ASAP!"  She jogged out into the storm, Wakka sighing and following at a more leisurely pace.  At the crest of the hill, she stopped and turned to face him.  "Hey, slowpoke!  Hurry up!" she yelled, waving her metal-clawed arm in the air.

            Wakka's eyes widened.  "Rikku, get down!" he started to shout, but he saw the flash of light and knew it was too late.  Moving faster than he had previously thought possible, Wakka rushed forwards and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and rolling several feet.  Gasping for breath, he looked back and saw the fresh black spot on the charred ground where Rikku had just stood.  Rikku saw it, too.  

            "Whoa… thanks… I _think_…"

            Wakka suddenly realized just what an uncompromising position they were actually in.  Blushing slightly, he quickly scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to help Rikku up.  She ignored it, choosing instead to push herself up and dust off her hands.  Wakka sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.  "I, uh, guess we should keep movin', ya?  Before somethin' like that happens again?"

            Rikku nodded mutely, giving him a strange look.

            "Uh, it's, um, startin' to get dark, ya?" Wakka offered.

            "It's always dark in the Thunder Plains," Rikku pointed out.

            "Gah, you know what I mean!" he cried in exasperation.  Shaking his head in defeat, he added, "Let's just get outta here, ya?  We can spend the night in Macalania- there's no way I'm gonna stay in Bevelle!"

~*~*~*~

            Rikku sighed in relief as she pulled off her boots and dipped her feet into the cool water.  After a quick look around, they had decided that the only decent campground was the clearing where they had stayed not five months prior, when accompanying Yuna on her pilgrimage.  Though it seemed empty with just the two of them, Rikku was glad they had chosen it, and had quickly made her way to the nearby lake after setting up camp.

            She sat silently for a time, swinging her legs in the water and clearing her head of her thoughts.  Eventually she heard a noise behind her, but didn't turn, and a moment later Wakka sat down beside her.  They were silent for a while, simply admiring the beauty of the forest surrounding them.  

            "It feels so strange," Rikku said finally, "to be on a journey without… everybody."

            Wakka nodded.  "I really miss him," he said, sounding uncharacteristically serious.  Nobody needed to explain who 'he' was.

            Rikku looked down.  "Me, too," she whispered, slightly choked.

            Wakka glanced sidelong at her.  "You really liked him, didn't you?"

            Rikku started, then smiled sadly and gazed up at the silver moon hanging overhead.  "Yeah.  He was a good friend," she answered, "He treated me like a human when others didn't.  He didn't care that I was Al Bhed.  He saw what was inside."

            "Hn," grunted Wakka.

            Rikku looked at him.  "You okay?" she asked.

            "Ya.  I'm fine."  He stood and dusted himself off.  "I… I'm gonna turn in now.  G'night."  He started to walk back towards camp.

            Rikku was too surprised to move, and sat, thinking fast.  "Wait," she called after a minute.  Wakka stopped walking and turned to look at her.  "Did you just ask me if I _liked _him?"

            "Yeah."

            "Oh."  Rikku went bright red as she realized her mistake.  "No.  Not in that way.  I never liked him in _that_ way.  He was more like a… a brother to me." She giggled suddenly.  "Besides, he and Yunie were so cute together!"

            Wakka eyed her warily.  "What's so funny, ya?" he asked suspiciously.

            "Nothing, really, I'm just remembering when we were here before…"

            "Hey!  You know somethin'!  C'mon, spill!" said Wakka indignantly, not liking to be left out of the loop.

            Rikku giggled even more.  "Okay, remember when we camped here and Yuna left for some alone time and then Tidus went after her?  Well, I was looking for some berries I'd seen earlier-"

            "Were not.  You were spyin'," Wakka interrupted.

            Rikku pouted.  "I won't tell you anything if you're gonna be like that!" 

            "Fine.  You were 'lookin' for berries'…?"

            "Yeah, and anyways, there they were, in the middle of the lake, just totally making out!" And Rikku proceeded to describe the whole scene to Wakka sickeningly sweet detail.

            "Whoa… never thought the kid had it in him," Wakka commented when she was done.

            "Well, to tell the truth… I kinda put him up to it."

            _"What?!"_

            "Not the whole kissing thing!  I didn't expect him to go _that _far!  It's just… you know how I felt about Yunie's pilgrimage.  I thought maybe I could convince her to quit, but nothing I said made a difference.  But then Tidus found out about… you know… the end… well, I knew how she felt about him.  If anyone could convince her to quit, he could."

            "I guess the fact that he failed just goes to show how stubborn Yuna can really be, ya?"

            Rikku watched as the first drops of rain began to fall from the sky.  "Yeah," she sighed, and began to walk slowly back to the campsite.  She suddenly didn't feel so cheerful anymore.

* * *

Thanks for reading!  Before you go, I've got a small case of writer's block for chapter three.  I plan on covering the Calm Lands and chocobo riding.  If you've got any ideas, please email me, 'cause I'd love to hear them!  You could leave 'em in a review too, but then the next chapter might not be a surprise.  Anyways, whether you've got an idea or not, don't forget to review!  Just follow the magic arrow!  Thanks!

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	3. Cracked

Hi all!  Thank you sooooooo much to everyone who reviewed!  I love you all!  I'm sorry this chapter was so long in coming; Saranomy and I both had some serious school issues.  Damn high school teachers… won't let us have any life to speak of.  Just work, work, work.  Ok, that's my rant for the day.  ~_^

To those who said I'm moving the story a little too fast, please let me know if this chapter is an improvement or not.  I'm trying, I really am!  Your feedback is majorly appreciated and I thank all of you who've helped so far!  ::glomps all reviewers::  And thanks to Saranomy for betaing!  ::glomps her, too::

I have no idea if the antics with the chocobos in this chapter are really possible, but I'm treating the chocobos like horses, and on horses they're entirely possible, albeit somewhat dangerous.  ^_^

***

Shattered Dreams

Chapter 3

Cracked

            When Wakka woke the next morning, Rikku was nowhere to be seen.  He immediately did the first rational thing that came to his mind, and panicked.  "Rikku…?  Rikku?!"

            "Right here," she said cheerfully, her head dropping out upside-down from the foliage overhead.

            Wakka took a step backwards and gave his patented shocked expression, throwing his arm across his face.  He recovered quickly, yelling, "Don't DO that!  You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

            Rikku giggled.  "Chill, Wakka!  Geez, what's with you?  You're so tense lately!"

            Wakka resisted the urge to make a snide comment in return and settled for a shrug instead.  "We'd better get movin', ya?  I wanna at least reach Mt. Gagazet today."

            They packed up camp silently and made it out of Macalania, again noting the strange lack of fiends.  Several times Rikku checked to make sure she hadn't equipped the Devastator by mistake, but always found that she was wearing her Godhand as usual.

            They had just topped the crest of the ridge overlooking the Calm Lands when a woman astride a chocobo rode up to them.  "Good day," she said cheerfully, "We don't get many travelers up here anymore.  You planning on crossing the Calm Lands?"

            "Yeah," Rikku answered, eyeing the woman warily.  She wore a brightly colored heavy coat and wool hat, even though it was hardly autumn and still quite warm out.  Rikku couldn't understand why anyone would put themselves through such torture.

            "Would you like to rent a couple of chocobos?  Fiends avoid them, and it would make your journey much faster.  Only 100 Gil apiece.  Though," she added as an afterthought, "there haven't _been _any fiends lately…"

            "Yeah!" Rikku cried, her face lighting up.  "Let's rent chocobos, Wakka!"

            "Wait a sec, ya?  We don't 'ave a whole lotta money…" he protested.

            "It's only 200 Gil, Wakka!  We've got enough!" insisted Rikku.

            Wakka was still skeptical.  "But… once we reach Mt. Gagazet, we can't just turn around and ride the chocobos back to return 'em!"

            "Oh, don't worry about that," the woman on the chocobo assured him, "Just leave them there.  They're tagged, so I always know where they are."

            "Come _on_, Wakka!  You said yourself you wanna reach Mt. Gagazet by nightfall!"

            Wakka frowned, realizing he'd effectively backed himself into a corner.  "All right, all right," he grumbled, digging through his pockets for the cash.  He finally dredged up the Gil and handed it to the chocobo lady.  She gave a piercing whistle and two chocobos appeared at her side, squawking happily in that way that chocobos do.

            "Here you are," she announced, "Enjoy your trip."  She turned and trotted off down the slope.

            "Easy for _her _to say," Wakka muttered under his breath, eyeing his chocobo warily.

            Rikku grabbed hers and swung herself easily up onto it's back.  "C'mon, Wakka, What're you waiting for?"

            He glared at her.  "I dunno how to ride," he said sulkily.

            Rikku trotted in a circle around him, laughing.  Wakka frowned and muttered something about "excessive perkiness" under his breath.

            "It's not that hard," Rikku said, "I've never ridden one before either, but they can't be _that _different from machina bikes.  Just grab it's neck feathers- you won't hurt it- and swing one leg over, then use your momentum to hoist yourself up."

            After a few agonizing moments, Wakka was perched rather uncomfortably on the chocobo.  Rikku grinned at him.  "Great!  Now let's go."

~*~*~*~

            "Abandoned…" Rikku muttered as she circled the rest stop, only to find all entrances boarded up.  The colorful hangings and posters had all been taken down and removed, along with the pots and other strange artifacts that usually littered the area.

            "I guess they left now that no more summoners and their guardians are gonna be comin' through here, ya?" Wakka thought aloud. 

            Rikku snorted, "Great.  And they took all their stock with 'em.  Just when we were running low."

            "We'll be fine, ya.  We got chocobos to get across the Calm Lands, and it's just a day's trip to reach the summit once we're on Mt. Gagazet."

            Rikku nodded, shivering involuntarily.  She was getting bad vibes from something… she just couldn't put her finger on it.  "C'mon, there's no point in hanging around here," she said, glancing around them nervously.  She climbed back onto her chocobo and set off at a quick trot, wondering what exactly was making her feel so uneasy.

            Wakka rushed to catch up to her.  "Hey, Rikku, you okay?" he asked in concern.  She glanced up in surprise, then nodded, realizing she must have looked really unsettled if he had bothered to ask.

            "I think I'm gettin' the hang a' this, ya?" Wakka remarked, indicating the chocobo he sat upon.  "How about a race?"

            Rikku understood that he was trying to get her mind off whatever was troubling her, and she appreciated the gesture.  "How far?" she asked gamely.

            "Uh… how 'bout to the Arena?"

            It was a long way, but about the only landmark they had to use as a finish line.  Rikku squinted into the distance and was just barely able to make out the brightly colored balloons that marked their destination.  "Yeah, okay.  What're the stakes?"

            "Huh?"

            Rikku rolled her eyes at his ignorance.  "What do I get if I win?"

            "Uh…" Wakka faltered.  He didn't really have anything to offer should she win.

            Rikku giggled suddenly.  "A date!" 

            "_What!?_" yelped Wakka.

            "I get to go on a date if I win!" Rikku grinning evilly at him and suddenly took off at full speed, leaving a bewildered Wakka in the dust.

            "Hey!  Wait!  What… gah!"  Wakka spurred his chocobo into a gallop and after a few minutes he neared Rikku, who was giggling uncontrollably.  Reaching down, he grabbed the reins of her chocobo and pulled back, at the same time urging his mount to go faster.

            "Hey!" cried Rikku indignantly as he passed her.

            Suddenly Wakka felt something land heavily behind him, and he turned his head to see Rikku, who stuck her tongue out at him.  His chocobo squawked at the extra weight, while Rikku's- now without the burden of a rider- sped up.  Rikku jumped back on it as it passed them, making sure to push Wakka's chocobo backwards as she did.

            Rikku crossed their imaginary finish line just before Wakka, turned around, and promptly dissolved into laughter.  Wakka slowed his chocobo as he passed her and wheeled around as she fell off her chocobo and rolled on the ground, laughing hysterically.  She paused long enough to point at him and gasp out:  "Your… face… priceless!"

            Wakka 'hmphed' and turned away, not enjoying being laughed at.  Rikku was just beginning to calm down when she suddenly heard a noise behind her.  Without warning, a huge fist reached down and grabbed her by the leg, lifting her into the air upside-down.  She screamed as it shook her and then flung her aside.  The cliff wall made its presence known to her very quickly. 

            'Oh,_ cred_,' she thought, and then the world went black.

~*~*~*~

            Wakka heard Rikku's scream and turned just in time to see her thrown into the cliff wall.  There was a sickening 'crack' and she slumped to the ground, eyes glazed.

            "RIKKU!" yelled Wakka, but then the monster was on him, swinging a huge fist.  The chocobo Wakka was mounted on nimbly dodged the blow and Wakka took the opportunity to fling his blitzball at the creature, loading it with a darkness technique and hoping for the best.  The monster flailed blindly and Wakka used the distraction to duck behind it and get to Rikku.

            Which would have worked perfectly except for one small detail:

            She wasn't there.

            "Hastega!" a voice yelled, and a moment later she appeared next to him, again mounted on her chocobo.  He gaped at her as she winked.  "SOS Regen," she grinned, "I knew it was worth all those Healing Springs.  Now-" she turned to look at her attacker, "I thought that woman said monsters _avoided _chocobos!" she said angrily.

            "D'ya see this kinda thing runnin' around on a daily basis?" Wakka countered, feeling his pulse quicken and the familiar adrenaline rush as Rikku's spell kicked in.  "I'll bet it escaped from the Arena, ya?"

            By now the… thing… had stopped prancing around and rubbing its eyes and had turned to face them, giving them their first good look at their opponent.  Colored silver and gold, it had a large head and arms compared to its torso, though to Wakka and Rikku it was by no means small.  It snarled hungrily at them, revealing two purple tongues, and Wakka was suddenly reminded of a similar monster the group had encountered during Yuna's pilgrimage…  A monster at Mi'ihen Highroad…  A monster with a taste for chocobos…

            'Aw, crap,' he thought as it lumbered towards them, swinging its massive fists.  His chocobo easily avoided the attack and he tossed his blitzball again while Rikku lobbed a couple of grenades at it.  The Earth Eater, as he had now identified it, snarled and swung again, this time clipping Rikku's shoulder as she tried to duck.  With a cry, she tumbled off her mount and hit the ground hard, rolling forwards onto her feet.

            The Earth Eater rushed her again, but this time she was ready.  Throwing down a smoke bomb for cover, she ran under the fiend and thrust the Godhand into its belly, pulling down and tearing the flesh as she ducked between its legs and emerged behind it.  It roared in pain and Rikku grinned triumphantly.

            "Look out!" Wakka yelled.

            Rikku's smile faded and she yelped as the monster spun around, thrashing wildly.  She ducked and crawled out of the way while Wakka threw his blitzball again and hit it square in the face, catching it off balance and knocking it onto its back.  It kicked its legs and flailed, but didn't right itself.

            "I think it's stuck…" Rikku whispered to Wakka as he rode up beside her.  "Y'think maybe we should go now?"

            Wakka nodded mutely as Rikku's chocobo trotted up and cooed happily at her.  She smiled weakly and hoisted herself up, gripping the reins tightly.

            "Let's hurry, ya," Wakka urged, turning towards Mt. Gagazet.  Rikku glanced back at the Earth Eater and frowned.  It was still struggling on its back, but something wasn't quite right…

            "Wa-" she stopped in horror as a flaming dome of white light surrounded Wakka. 

            "Ow," he croaked as the Flare spell faded.

            There was a roar of triumph, and they turned to see the Earth Eater back on its feet, glaring angrily at them.  The gash Rikku had torn in its stomach was still spilling a nasty yellowish liquid.

            "_Cred_," Rikku muttered, wondering if she knew any spells that might do more than annoy it.  She'd never really bothered to learn offensive magic, and she was regretting it now.  How the hell could they… ah!  Perfect!  Rikku peered around the Earth Eater and grinned, an idea forming in her mind.  During the course of the battle, they had somehow managed to work the fiend around so that its back was to The Scar, the great chasm that cut across the Clam Lands, created when a previous Sin was defeated by a summoner of ages past.  Even better, Rikku noted, the monster was just a few feet from the edge- if they could just get it to take a couple steps back…

            "Wakka!" she yelled.  When he looked in her direction she pointed at the monster and made a pushing motion with her hands; he nodded that he understood.  They shifted so that they were approaching in a pincer formation and began an all out assault of blitzballs and frag grenades.  The Earth Eater howled in pain, but instead of backing up, it began to advance.

            Rikku cursed and guided her chocobo around next to Wakka's.  "I can do a mix," she told him, "But I'll need time."

            He nodded, "I'll cover for ya."  He charged forwards and to the right, flinging another blitzball infused with Dark Attack.

            Rikku used the distraction to dig around in her pouch for a pair of pendulums.  She had just finished fusing them together when she heard a cry, and she looked up just in time to see Wakka batted from his chocobo and sent flying to the ground some feet away.  He slammed into a rock with a sickening crunch and lay still.

            "NO!" Rikku screamed, hurling her mix at the Earth Eater.  The chaos grenade exploded violently, launching earth and debris in all directions.  The force of the explosion knocked Rikku to the ground, where she lay for several minutes.  When she finally dared to get up, she only rose to her knees and crawled to the lip of The Scar.  After glancing over the edge, she grimaced, shook her head, and made her way to Wakka.

            He moaned slightly as she turned him over to inspect the wound.  A large gash had formed in his right shoulder where he had hit the sharp rock, and it was bleeding profusely.  Rikku swore and shook him vigorously.  "Wakka!  Wakka, wake up!  You'd better not have a concussion…"

            "Ow, Rikku!  Cut it out, ya?" he yelped, opening his eyes.

            "Oh, stop whining, ya big baby," chided Rikku as she pressed a cloth to his shoulder to stop the bleeding, "It's not that bad."

            "But it hurts," he moaned.

            Rikku rolled her eyes.  "What, d'ya want me to kiss it and make it better?"

            There was a pregnant pause as Rikku's words took a minute to sink in for both of them.  She realized what she had just said and blushed.  "Uh, I didn't really mean that…" she mumbled, and began digging through her pouch for a Hi-Potion.

            "I wouldn't mind…" Wakka mumbled under his breath.

            "What?" asked Rikku, only half listening.

            "Nothing!"

            Rikku might have retaliated, but she was too preoccupied with pulling a small blue vial out of her bag.  "Damn.  Down to my last Hi-Potion."  She uncorked it and handed it to Wakka.  "Here, drink up.  You're not going anywhere with a hole like that in ya."

            Wakka took the bottle and stared woefully at it.  "This stuff tastes like shit," he said dejectedly.

            "Tough.  Drink now or I'll force feed you."

            Wakka brought the vial to his lips and swallowed the iridescent liquid, grimacing as it went down.  When he finished, he passed the empty container back to Rikku, who dropped it back in the pouch fastened around her thigh.  "That'll take a few hours to fully heal," she said, "It's a pretty deep cut.  I guess we'll have to walk the rest of the way.  You can't ride in this condition."  

"I'm fine, ya," protested Wakka, but Rikku wouldn't buy it.  Putting his arm over her shoulders, she helped pull him to his feet and supported his weight as they crossed the final stretch of the Calm Lands.  And in truth, he was grateful.

~*~*~*~

            Oh, my head.  How hard did I party last night?

            **Harder than you think.**

…What… What happened?

            I… I was celebrating our latest victory in the blitzball tournament…

            **Were you?**

            Wasn't I?

            **You tell me.**

            I… I wasn't.  I was… I can't remember…

            **You can.**

            Who… who are you, anyways?

            **Does it matter?**

            I… no.  I don't think so.

**            So tell me.  What do you remember?**

            Nothing.  I was playing blitzball… and then…I can't remember…

**            Think hard.  Think very hard.**

            Tidus… 

            What…?  Who?

            Tidus… 

            Who are you?

            _Come back to me…_

            _Where _are you?

            _You promised, Tidus…_

            You… You… Yuna!

            **Very good.**

            Yuna!  I have to get to Yuna!

*******

_'Cred!',_ in case you weren't sure, is Al Bhed for 'Shit!'

Gah.  It wasn't until I wrote that battle scene that I realized just how limited your resources are when you're only fighting with two people.  ::sigh::  Until next time, then!  Don't forget to review!!!


	4. Breaking

Updated 1/3/04:  Thanks to Saranomy once again for betaing, and especially for the better ending for the scene with Basik!  This chapter has now been revised.  Hopefully that's cleared up some rough edges and stuff.  Next chapter is coming, but I'm stuck in a bit of a rut…  

I sincerely apologize for the delay. As it is, I'm posting this without Saranomy's assistance, though thanks goes out to Cheshire1311 for giving it the once-over. I'll probably repost the edited version once Sara returns from the dead. We miss ya, girl!  
  
Also, I need to say: Thank you sooooo much to all who reviewed! You guys make my day and I can't thank you enough. The constructive criticism is very much appreciated; I put a lot of effort into drawing out this chapter and making it less rushed than the previous ones; I hope it's better. I also seem to have retrieved my long-lost sarcastic humor, and I delved a bit more into the characters' minds. Let me know what you think of this slight change in writing style. Keep those reviews coming!  
  
Note to lynnxlady: Thanks for your reviews! ::huggles:: I've got you on my Author Alert, so no need to email me about your updates. Thanks for the offer, though!  
  
Oh, yes, and before I forget: near the beginning of the chapter, I make a reference to a Dark Aeon. In case this seems unfamiliar to you, Dark Aeons (among other things) were an addition to the International and PAL (European) versions of FFX. They're extremely difficult and evil and a pain in the ass to deal with. ^_^ Sorry if it causes any confusion, but it seemed to fit the scene.  
  
Al Bhed translations at the end, as always. Don't forget to review!

                                                            **Shattered Dreams**

                                                                    Chapter 4

                                                                     Breaking

            "Should we-"

            "No."

            "Just for-"

            "No."

            "Not even-"

            _"No."_

Rikku scowled and kicked a loose stone with her toe.  It tumbled over the edge of the ravine and fell down, down, into oblivion.  "Why not?" she huffed.

            "Because the _last _time we went into that damned cave, a bloody _ghost _chased us out and summoned a freakin' Dark _Aeon _on us!  Five times!"

            "Well, Yunie got a new Aeon," Rikku pointed out brightly.

            "And we nearly got killed in the process."

            "But we _did _finally beat it," Rikku reminded him, "So it should be safe now."

            "Why'd ya wanna go down there anyways?" Wakka asked, raising an eyebrow.  "I thought you wanted to get to the summit as fast as possible."

            Rikku growled, a clear sign that she didn't want to discuss it.  Wakka took the hint and backed off.  For now.

            They continued their hike up the trail, getting sidetracked as they reached the first snow.  Rikku deviously hung back and whipped up a snowball, which was short lived as it met its end by connecting with the back of Wakka's head.  Hard.

            "Ow!" he cried, spinning around.  Rikku tried to appear nonchalant, but since she was the only one around, Wakka wasn't fooled.

            "You think you're so clever, ya!" grinned Wakka, packing down a snowball of his own.  Rikku yelped and dived behind a snow bank, but Wakka's impeccable blitzball aim caught her in the shoulder, despite her efforts.

            "No fair!" she shrieked indignantly, and pelted him with three more cold, wet grenades from behind the shelter of her snow bank.  

            "Oh, so that's how it is," Wakka laughed, and ducked behind his own snowdrift.  Soon a barrage of snowballs was flying through the air, leaving globs of snow littering the trail.  Despite their best efforts, neither opponent seemed to be landing any hits, so it wasn't long before they began to resort to dirtier tactics.  Wakka cast Aim on himself while Rikku cast Luck.  Wakka tried to add a darkness effect to his snowballs, and Rikku risked a few smoke bombs and sleeping powders, and once even a frag grenade, which caused a little more destruction than she'd intended.  Wakka retaliated with a heavy assault of blitzball-sized snowballs, all infused with Triple Foul.

            Rikku was digging around in her pouch for some status-ailing, non-damage-inflicting items to mix up when she realized the onslaught had stopped.  Frowning in confusion, she cautiously poked her head up from behind her snow fort, expecting to be hit with a volley of wet slush, but none came.

            She was instantly suspicious.  She checked to make sure her Victorious was equipped firmly, and then crept out from her stronghold with bated breath.  When Wakka failed to leap out from behind a snowdrift or pelt her with snowballs, she breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time became even more alert.  Wakka was obviously up to no good.  She crawled stealthily across the distance between their two snow banks, hoping to surprise him with an attack of her own.

            "Eat this!" she yelled, jumping up with a huge snowball in hand, but her words fell on an empty path.  There was no red-haired blitzer in sight.

            "What the…" Rikku muttered, but she didn't have time to finish her thought before she was tackled from behind.  She screamed and ended up with a mouthful of snow as both she and her attacker fell to the ground.  There was a brief tussle as Rikku kicked and squirmed, then suddenly began to laugh as she discovered she was being tickled.  She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but she was breathless from laughing and struggling.  In a final attempt to escape, she lashed out and managed to twist onto her back, and suddenly found herself staring into a pair of deep blue eyes.

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            Wakka stopped tickling her when she rolled onto her back as he suddenly became distinctly aware of how close their faces were.  He had the sudden urge to lean down and…

            "Uh, Wakka?  It's been fun an' all, but _could you get off me, please? _You're crushing me!"

            He snapped back to reality and jumped to his feet, turning away so she couldn't see his face burning in a shade darker than his hair.  He suddenly became immensely interested in examining the snow around his feet, and briefly wondered if it might be a good idea to stick his face in a pile of it to help him cool down.  Then he decided no, he'd probably just melt it all, and Rikku would certainly notice if he did a nose plant into a snowdrift and then it all turned to slush before her eyes.  On the other hand, drowning would save him the humiliation of having to face her again…

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            Rikku eyed him warily from her half-sitting position on the ground.  She was waiting for him to offer his hand to help her up, but he didn't, so she sighed and scrambled up herself, brushing the snow off her shirt.  'Well, that's what you get for being rude last time,' she reprimanded herself.  She glanced at Wakka again.  He was still standing with his back to her, and was, as far as she could tell, deeply intrigued by the small mound of snow at his feet.

            "Wakka?  You okay?" she asked, tentatively taking a step forwards.

            He jumped at her voice and spun around to face her.  She couldn't help but notice he looked a bit flushed.  It wasn't _that _cold, was it?

            "I should kill you for that stunt you pulled," she informed him matter-of-factly.  She was expecting a "You started it!" retort, but to her surprise, Wakka simply looked back down at the snow again.  What _was _it with the snow?!  Honestly, it was just cold and wet and white.  Nothing amazing about it.

            "Whatever.  I'll get you later," Rikku muttered, put off by his lack of a comeback.  After a quick check to make sure everything was in place ("Pouch; hair; okay, we're good to go."), she marched past Wakka and up the path with all the air of one who's lost a battle but is determined to win the war.  Which, of course, she was. 

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            Wakka continued to argue with his body about just how much blood should be pumped to his face in any given minute for a while longer before finally giving up and hurrying after Rikku.  She was already several hundred feet up the slope and contemplating exactly how much snow would have to lodge itself in Wakka's face before he'd get the hint and follow her already.  Luckily, he caught up before she had a chance to test this theory, and the duo continued on in silence for a while.

            Or at least, it seemed like a while to Wakka.  As far as Rikku was concerned, it couldn't have been more than five minutes, but _she _wasn't the one who had to ask thequestion.  _She _wasn't the one desperately trying to think how to phrase it without giving the wrong impression.  _She _wasn't the one wondering how strong her backhand was and if it was even worth trying to get out of the way.

            "…Rikku?" he asked tentatively, deciding that if he was going to be slapped it would be better to get it out of the way now.  That, or he might not have the courage to ask later, and if he didn't find this out he'd probably die of frustration and suspense.  He'd never been one for patience.

            "That's my name, don't wear it out!" sang Rikku.

            "Uh… um, I was wondering… about, um…"

            "Yeah?"

            "Remember, um, before?  You said, uh, you…"

            "Just spit it out, already!  I won't bite!" she cried exasperatedly.

            "Yousaidifyouwonyougottogoonadate," Wakka said all in one breath.  Then, more slowly, "And you won."

            Rikku blinked at him as her mind slowly deciphered what he'd said.  Then, to his great annoyance (and embarrassment), she burst out laughing.

            "And I'd completely forgotten about that!" she giggled, "So _that's_ what you're all freaked out about!"  She cracked up again at his indignant expression.  "I just wanted to see the look on your face!" she explained, "And it was soooo funny!  You should have seen it!  And then when I won…!"  She dissolved into laugher again, and it was several minutes before she was coherent enough for Wakka to understand.  When she finally composed herself, she grinned at him and added, "Don't worry, you don't have to go out with me now.  Didn't you notice?  I never said a date with _you._"  She punched his arm lightly.  "So you're safe."

            "Oh."

            Wakka looked at the ground.  The puddle of slush at his feet was calling him again.  He seriously considered taking it up on it's offer.  It was very tempting.  Drowning himself in half-melted snow suddenly sounded _very_ appealing.  Of _course_ she hadn't been serious!  C'mon, this was _Rikku_; she joked about everything!  No one in his or her right mind could possibly take her seriously.  (Of course, Wakka had never claimed to be entirely in his right mind.)  But still, there had been a small part of him that had been… hopeful…

            Wait, _what?_  Where the hell was this train of thought going?  He was sure it wasn't the one he was supposed to be on…  He supposed vaguely that he should be more careful about which trains he hopped in the future.  A new platform labeling system would probably help, too.  That way he could steer completely clear of the one marked "Hormones".

            Wakka was still contemplating what to do about this runaway train and, more importantly, how to reply to Rikku, when a huge furry paw clamed over his mouth.  Unfortunately, his captor didn't seem to realize that it's huge paw not only covered Wakka's mouth, but also his nose, and so Wakka suddenly found breathing (and thus coherent thought process) very difficult.  He struggled wildly, but his captor was far too strong.

            "Hey!  What d'ya think you're doing?" he heard Rikku yell angrily.  The paw released him and he dropped to the ground, breathing deeply.

            "Guardian Rikku," a deep baritone rumbled, "Basik apologizes.  Sin gone, no more pilgrimage.  Ronso not see humans for many months.  Not expecting visitors."

            "It's okay," said Rikku, helping Wakka to his feet.  The great beast nodded to him.  "Guardian Wakka."

            Wakka blinked dazedly at the Ronso a few times, then seemed to recover with a grin.  "Oh, captain of the Fangs, ya?  We really whooped your ass in the finals last season, didn't we?"  Wakka laughed.  

            Rikku elbowed him in the stomach.  Hard.

            "Ow!  Um, I mean, you guys played well, ya.  Great game," he amended quickly.

            The Ronso stared impassively at them.  Wakka shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.  "You climb Gagazet," Basik said suddenly.

            "Uh, erm, yeah," Wakka said, confused by the abrupt change in topic.

            "Bad storm come.  Not safe.  You wait."

            Rikku objected, "But we really need to reach the summit!  It's important!"

            Basik folded his arms across his chest and regarded her stoically.  "Bad storm.  Much snow.  Big wind."

            "But… it looks clear now," Wakka pointed out hopefully, "Not a cloud in the sky."

            "Ronso know storm.  Hit hard, hit fast," Basik said sagely.  "It comes.  Ronso feel it."

Rikku and Wakka looked at each other.  She raised an eyebrow; he shrugged in reply.  Looking up at the large beast before them, Rikku shook her head, "I think we'll be alright. Thank you for telling us, but we're in a hurry. We can get through a little storm, don't you think, Wakka?"  
  


Wakka nodded his assent. Basik stared down at the two ex-guardians impassively, seemingly contemplating their decision. Finally nodding, he looked up at the clear sky, and snorted.  
  


"Good luck, Guardian Rikku and Guardian Wakka. May you go with mountain blessing."

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            Wakka glanced anxiously at the petite blonde beside him as they trudged through the snowstorm.  Basik had been right, and the storm had hit not half an hour after they set out.  Progress was excruciatingly slow.  Wind whistled around them and snow came down so fast it filled up their footprints mere seconds after they had pulled their legs out of the snow.  At each step, they sunk to their mid-calves in the powdery substance, and it was just getting worse with each passing minute.

            Rikku, especially, was looking worse for wear.  She was really not dressed for this sort of thing, and was shivering uncontrollably even as she sweated with the effort of making each step.  Wakka could hear her teeth chattering from where he stood, even with the noise of the wind and the raging storm.  He reached out and touched her arm.

            "Do you wanna turn back?"

            She shook her head stoically, determination written all over her features.  "We've come this far.  We can't go back now!"

            Wakka nodded, but continued to watch her with growing apprehension.  He _really _didn't like the way her knees buckled at each step, and he was _certain_ her lips weren't supposed to be that shade of blue.  On Lulu, maybe, but not on Rikku.

            He caught her as she stumbled and fell, struggling to stand upright by herself.  "Are ya sure you're okay?" he asked.

            She pushed him away and nodded.  "I'm fine," she mumbled, "I'm getting used to it."

            "Rikku, don't!  You should _never_ get used to being too cold!"  But even as he spoke, she swayed and collapsed, unable to support herself any longer.  Wakka carefully picked her up, holding her close to his chest in a feeble attempt to warm her up.  He marveled briefly at how light she was and hoped she was getting enough to eat, but quickly quelled these thoughts to make room for more important ones.  Such as, "What now?"

            "That's it, we're goin' back," he growled, and attempted to turn around.  Key word being "attempted".  The storm had worsened, and was now so bad that one couldn't discern the ground from the snow spiraling down around them.  It was impossible to tell left from right, north from south, backwards from forwards.  Wakka quickly realized this, and it was followed up even quicker with a nasty sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

            They were completely and hopelessly lost.

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            After nearly an hour of, well, really the only way it can be described is "moving," because he wasn't really walking or running or doing anything normally associated with traveling using the human feet, but he was moving, as in "going somewhere," although he was going there very slowly, and it is rather unclear where "there" was, as he wasn't entirely sure himself, this being due to the fact that he was lost, and… Ahem.

            Anyways, after nearly an hour of _moving _in a completely random direction, Wakka had come to the conclusion that Rikku was not as light as he had previously thought.  His muscles ached and he, too, was very cold.  He found himself longing to simply lie down where he was and sleep.  For a very long time.  As it was, the only thing keeping him going was the girl nestled in his arms.  He glanced down at her again, and was surprised to find her eyes half open.  She had been asleep ever since he'd picked her up.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he vaguely registered some knowledge of _cold_, _sleeping_, and _bad_, but he couldn't remember why it had any importance or why he was thinking of it now, so he pushed it aside and focused on the matter at hand; namely, Rikku.

            She stared up at him now, frowning slightly, as if she were trying to remember something basic but couldn't seem to grasp it.

            "Wakka?" she murmured, sounding unsure of the name.

            "Ya?"

            She relaxed visibly and snuggled deeper into his arms, mumbling, _"E tihhu frana E ys, pid ed'c y jano hela tnays."  _

            "Um," Wakka said intelligently.  He decided it probably didn't matter, and shrugged for the effect.  Or at least, he tried to.  It's rather difficult to shrug when you've got one hundred and ten pounds of dead weight in your arms.  He struggled onwards.

            Rikku continued to talk into his chest,but her ramblings were all in Al Bhed, so Wakka mostly ignored them.  He heard his name once or twice, but she didn't seem to be trying to talk to him directly, so he brushed it off and continued plodding ahead in hopes that he might stumble upon some form of shelter before they both froze to death.

            "Some form of shelter" appeared to him in the shape of a gorge through which the mountain path ran.  The trail had previously (he assumed) been out on the open face of the mountain, but now it felt the need for some change of scene and so wound itself through a great cliff face, resulting in an almost tunnel-like crevasse along the bottom of which Wakka now, um, moved.  The great stone walls towering up on either side of him provided excellent protection against the howling wind, and although snow still came down rather heavily, it no longer swirled and danced and threatened to knock him over and run him down with a steam roller.

            In his exhausted and very cold state of mind, Wakka figured this was probably the best shelter he was going to get.  Finding a little niche under a half-broken pillar, he began to set up camp as best he could.  He quickly discovered that, due to their earlier decision to "travel light," he had very little at his disposal.  A single blanket, which he draped over Rikku's shivering form; some random status-healing items; various targes and armguards (none of which, he noted with disgust, were equipped with Nul-Frost); many strange bits and pieces Rikku used for customizing her claw; a small collection of feathers (he had no idea _what _Rikku intended to do with those); his blitzball; and some driftwood he'd been accumulating under the delusion that he'd carve 'stuff' out of them and present them as gifts on the various birthdays he usually forgot until the very last minute, and thus never had any presents for.  So he'd thrown the wood into his knapsack and conveniently forgotten about it until now.

            Now the sight of the dry branches sparked hope in his chest, and he immediately set to work creating the teepee-like base for a fire, arranging the pieces of wood so that they stood upright in a circle, joined at the top.  He grabbed some of Rikku's feathers and gently pushed them underneath the formation, grinning to himself.  At least he'd learned _something _useful from Auron during the pilgrimage.  He sat back and surveyed his handiwork.  Very nice indeed.  And then he suddenly realized something, and the thought sent all hope scurrying back to the black hole from whence it had come and throwing itself fervently into the night.

            He had no black magic.

            Of the two of them, Rikku was the one who knew black magic spells (albeit only the most basic) and therefore could light the fire.  And she was out of commission.  He sighed helplessly.  'C'mon, Wakka, there must be something you can do!  You ain't beaten yet, ya!' he thought to himself, brainstorming frantically.  The answer struck him like a tsunami, it was so obvious.  Or it might have, if he'd known what a tsunami was.  But he didn't, so the answer struck him more like a stampeding shoopuf.  Anyways, after he had slapped his hand to his forehead and finished berating himself for being so dense, he began rummaging through his pack, mumbling to himself.  At length, he triumphantly drew out a small, red, pin-like gem.  Grabbing his blitzball, he pried out the aquamarine one currently imbedded in its side, and replaced it with the red one, pushing it in firmly.  

            "There.  Firestrike," he said in satisfaction.  The ball burst into flame.

            It is of some interest to note that although the flames burned and licked his arms and hands angrily, he did not seem to be at all affected by them.  The tinder, on the other hand, was a completely different story.  He held the ball precariously over the small pile of wood, and the effect was instantaneous.  It ignited with a huge 'fwoosh' and crackled cheerfully, the warmth beckoning him closer.  Wakka savored it momentarily, then moved to Rikku's side and brought her closer to the fire, hoping it wasn't too late.  He remembered someone once telling him about 'frostbite', and he thought it sounded like a very nasty ailment indeed, and one he seriously doubted he could cure.

            How many hours he sat, staring at the fire with Rikku's head resting in his lap, he couldn't be sure.  But it was a very long time before she stirred, or showed any signs of life other than her painfully shallow breathing.  She had stopped shivering after he moved her next to the fire, but he was uncertain whether this was a good or a bad thing.  Absentmindedly, he stroked her hair, letting his thoughts wander, chasing each other in circles until he eventually drifted off into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            Wakka awoke with the worst headache he had ever endured in his life.  It was a result of hours of sleeping in an upright position with his head hanging forwards, causing a painful crick in the back of his neck.  He jerked his head upright as he woke and winced upon hearing a nasty 'crack'.  Gingerly, he massaged his neck before remembering exactly _why _he had been sleeping in an upright position with his head hanging forwards, causing a painful crick in the back of his neck.  This memory caused him to jerk his head upright again, resulting in yet another nasty 'crack', at which point Wakka decided that he really didn't need to deal with all this and it was more important to get up and get on with life and whatever it was he had remembered.  

            Oh, yeah.  Rikku.

            The Al Bhed in question was currently asleep, her face buried in Wakka's stomach and her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.  A faint smile played upon her face.  Wakka blushed to the roots of his hair, and about the same color, too.  He carefully disentangled himself from her arms and shook her gently.  "Rikku.  Rikku, wake up, ya.  Are you okay?"

            She opened her eyes and looked around blearily.  "... _dra ramm?  Frana ys E?_" she slurred, still half asleep.  She looked up and saw Wakka.  "… the hell?" she repeated.

            "You okay?" Wakka asked concernedly, "You were freezin' cold, ya.  I thought I was gonna lose you."

            Rikku considered this.  "What happened?" she asked, when she found she couldn't remember.

            "You passed out.  I carried you up here and got a fire goin'."  Wakka scratched the back of his head.  "You really gave me a scare, ya know?"

            Rikku blinked and shook her head.  "Sorry," she mumbled.  She looked around again.  "Hey… the storm's let up!"

            Wakka looked up as well.  "Whoa, no way!  I thought it would never stop, ya?" He glanced at her again.  "You feel ready to go?  Can you walk?"

            She climbed to her feet unsteadily and took a few tentative steps.  She wobbled a little, but didn't fall.  "I'm good," she said cheerfully, "Thanks to you."  She leaned against a pillar for support while Wakka packed up.  It was a big pillar.  Stone, and a blockish, square-y I-shape, with interesting blue patterns along the top.  It seemed vaguely familiar…  "Yo, Wakka!  How'd we get here?  I couldn't see a thing in that storm!"

            Wakka looked confused.  "I dunno.  Where is 'here'?"

            Rikku pointed.  All along the sides of the canyon were pillars similar to the one Rikku was leaning against.  Some were broken, others remained completely intact, but all radiated a sense of déjà vu that irked Wakka no end… Then it hit him.  "That is just _too_ weird," he mumbled, shouldering his pack and following Rikku down the path.  They rounded a corner, and there, stretched out in front of them, lay the Fayth Cluster.

                                                            ~*~*~*~

            For once in her life, Rikku was speechless.  Nothing she had ever seen, not even the destruction of her own Home, could possibly compare to the horror before her.  She couldn't even begin to explain _why _it was so awful, because in appearance, it didn't seem like anything horrendously evil.  She only knew that she felt a deep sense of foreboding, a chilling understanding and a dread of something yet to come.  The picture painted before her loomed with all its silent, hidden malice and something in her mind screamed, "This is not right!"

            The cliff face that held what once had been Fayth had turned a dark obsidian black, making each figure held captive in the rock barely distinguishable from the next.  Rikku seemed to remember that the iridescent, watery substance that used to flow over the Fayth had 'crusted over' and hardened when Yunie sent the Fayth, but she was certain it hadn't been such an ominous color before.  Just looking at the black wall sent shivers up and down her spine.  But that wasn't what disturbed her.  No, what disturbed her, what _scared _her beyond justification, were the cracks.

            Just like the eternally full moon hung low in the Farplane's chocolate sky, the wall of the Fayth was riddled with cracks, huge crevasses and gorges and enormous gaping holes that reeked with some unidentifiable power.  They laced through the rock, creating intricate patterns of no particular design.  Some stretched the entire width, others the entire length, others simply existing.  Several were large enough that it seemed one could waltz right in, and indeed, the feeling emitting from the place was that it went far, far deeper than one could possibly imagine.  It was like there was a whole other world behind that wall, and the cracks were the only way through.  They beckoned Rikku, they called her, but she knew she could never bring herself to step into that darkness.

            Rikku couldn't tell _how_ she knew it was evil.  She just _knew_.

She grabbed Wakka's hand, and she could tell by the way he clutched at hers that the exact same thoughts were running through his head.  All Rikku's mind could register was that this was bad.  This was very bad.  And they had to get to Yunie.  _Now_.

            She tugged his hand, and together they turned, wanting to run, to run and never look back, but it was reaching for them, it wound itself around their legs, holding them back.  Rikku tried to scream, but no sound came out; her throat was hoarse and yet she hadn't said a word.  The darkness clung to her, choking her, dragging her backwards, and she tightened her grip on Wakka's hand, determined not to lose him.  Then the darkness engulfed her, and she knew no more.

********

Translations:

_"E tihhu frana E ys, pid ed'c y jano hela tnays."_  =  "I dunno where I am, but it's a very nice dream."

"... _dra ramm?  Frana ys E?_" =  "... the hell?  Where am I?"


End file.
